Sanctions..

It is widely acknowledged by experts that the U.S. and Western sanctions on Russia, combined with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and blockade of Black Sea ports, have contributed to global inflation and exacerbated food shortages, primarily through disruptions in global commodity markets. 

 Russia is a major global exporter of key commodities, including oil, natural gas, wheat, and fertilizer. Sanctions and the war have disrupted the supply of these goods, leading to price spikes in global markets.

Inflationary Pressure: The rising costs of energy and agricultural products have been passed on to consumers worldwide, contributing to general inflation in the U.S. and beyond. This has compounded pre-existing inflationary pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages.

 Sanctions, coupled with the physical destruction of Ukrainian agricultural infrastructure and the blocking of its ports by Russia, have threatened global food security. The UN has warned that the number of undernourished people globally could increase due to these disruptions.